Chapter Twenty-Six

A New Friendship


The morning had dawned rainy. Hermione stood with her arms resting on the windowsill, waiting.

The silhouette of an owl soon appeared through the clouds.

She sighed and stepped back, letting her come in and perch on top of her cage.

Hermione untied the unopened letter in her left leg. Every few days she tried to contact Draco again, but always got the same result.

The owl stared up at her.

"I know, Dark," she whispered, stroking the feathers on her chest. "I know you notice his absence, too."

Hermione blinked back tears and left the room, descending the stairs silently with one finger curled around the chain on her neck.

The small silver rune glowed as she threw a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace, reflecting the emerald colour of the flames.

After a final sigh, Hermione stepped through them and disappeared.


Blaise knocked softly on the door twice.

"Come in."

He sighed and opened it, stepping into Potter's office.

He had never visited the Auror's department before, and the saviour of the wizarding world had one of the best offices. On the walls hung pictures cut from various newspapers showing the faces of the Death Eaters who had been caught the night before.

All the wizards and witches of Britain were celebrating but they were getting ahead of themselves, in his opinion. The danger had not yet passed.

Blaise felt a shiver run down his back as he saw that one of the pictures showed several hooded men wearing white cloaks.

The ones who had attacked Pansy and murdered Greg. The Liberators.

He swallowed and averted his gaze to the front. His eyes lingered for a few seconds on a small photo on the shelf where Granger and Weasley were smiling and hugging Potter.

Maybe he should take one like that with his friends. They didn't have any together.

"Hello, Zabini. On time as always."

Potter's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Blaise blinked, crossing his arms.

It was the first time the two had met to talk about the mission, though only he knew that. Luckily, Draco had told him everything he needed to know so he could pretend to be the Blaise he knew.

"Are you getting another medal for that?" he asked, pointing to the front page of the Prophet on the table.

It showed him and six other Aurors transporting Death Eaters to Azkaban.

Potter wrinkled his nose, folding it up and putting it in one of the drawers.

"It wasn't just me. The whole department collaborated and Malfoy's father was crucial in helping catch them."

Blaise sat down in the nearest chair, placing one ankle on his knee as Draco did.

"Did Lucius help you?"

At his nod, Blaise squared his jaw.

"Whatever," he waved a hand, turning the subject back to what was important. "Next week, then?"

He needed to know all the details so he could tell Draco later.

"We're still planning, but yes," one corner of Potter's lips curved upwards. "I've secured special permission for you to accompany us. You won't have to hide this time."

Blaise snorted, rolling his eyes. Draco always complained about how much he hated having to hide whenever he went on a mission with Potter.

"I have a few portkeys ready. Just with a touch, we can escape if we're in danger."

Potter's green eyes widened and he gasped in surprise.

"That will be very useful," he admitted, setting aside his blue quill. "How many do you have? Hermione's coming too, and I suspect Ron will sign up as soon as I tell him."

Blaise narrowed his eyes.

Draco wasn't going to like hearing about that. He was too worried about Granger and obsessed with keeping her safe.

Just like he was with Pansy.

"And that's allowed?" he muttered, clenching his fists.

"The three of us saved the wizarding world, Zabini," Potter arched an eyebrow as he adjusted his glasses. "I don't think anyone would dare tell them they can't be part of the raid that's going to put an end to this new threat."

Bloody Gryffindors and their hero complex.

"I suppose you're right," Blaise looked away from the Death Eaters on the wall, who were staring at him through their masks. "I have six, but I think I'll have time to finish one or two more."

And he would arrange for one to be prepared especially for her so it would take her straight to Zabini Manor at the slightest sign of danger. That would be the only way to get Draco to concentrate during the possible battle that would break out as soon as they faced the Liberators.

"Perfect. I'll let you know what time to be here by owl," Potter cocked his head, watching him with interest. "How are you with stun spells?"

Blaise smiled.

"Quite good."

He, Draco and Theo had trained very hard during the year that the Dark Lord had control of Hogwarts and the three of them were proficient in all sorts of spells, including some dark curses.

"I don't know what you Slytherins are used to, but we Aurors don't use offensive spells," Potter warned him with a strange glint in his eye. "No one must be hurt unless it is necessary to protect us."

Blaise pursed his lips. Surely Potter knew that Draco's first impulse had been to finish off the Liberators who attacked Granger. And he would have if she hadn't stopped him.

"I understand, Potter."

He gave him a small smile.

"Thank you for your help these past few weeks, Zabini," his smile faded and his brow furrowed. "I had hoped that Malfoy would have joined us as promised, too."

Blaise drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.

"He has a good reason for not being here, Potter," he looked up, his dark eyes boring into him. "Trust me."

Potter said nothing so he stood up, walking to the door.

"See you on Wednesday."

Blaise looked back, nodding before opening it and walking down the halls of the second floor at a brisk pace.

Once he was inside a lift and completely alone he leaned his back against a wall, relaxing his shoulders.

"Fuck," he closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. "That was close."

He'd gotten the impression that Potter suspected something fishy was going on, and he knew he was capable of anything to find out the truth.

Blaise still remembered the story of when he had transformed into Granger to find out if Draco was in love with her.

He stepped down into the Atrium, waiting until one of the fireplaces was free and slipping inside it.

"Zabini Manor."

The foyer of his home was deserted. It was still over an hour before lunchtime and the elves would be in the kitchen, preparing the food.

It was going to be a special occasion. He had invited Pansy to officially introduce her to his mother and Theo to give them his support if Regina Zabini did not receive the news well.

The two women knew each other and got along well, but he wasn't sure how it would sit with his mother to find out that he wasn't interested in dating an Italian-born witch as she wanted.

And Theo had asked if Lovegood could accompany him. He also wanted to introduce his girlfriend to the person who had been like a mother to him for years.

Blaise sighed. His mother had no idea what was in store for him.

He heard a slight buzzing sound and Draco's figure appeared before him shrouded in bluish light. He smirked as he put the coin back in his pocket, sitting down next to him.

"Just in time," Blaise commented, glancing sideways at him.

Draco's face tightened.

"Did you just get back?"

Blaise nodded.

"When is it?"

"Wednesday afternoon."

Draco ran his tongue over his teeth with a blank stare.

"I'll be ready," he replied with a forced smile. "Thank you, Blaise."

Blaise cleared his throat as he stood up and pulled out the coin.

"There's something else you should know," he sighed as he got his attention again. "Granger and Weasley are going too."

Draco's grey eyes darkened.

"What?"

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Blaise got to his feet, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"They want to help."

"Bloody Potter," Draco muttered angrily, shaking his head. He was so furious that his whole body was shaking. "Just a few months ago those bastards tried to kill his best friend!"

Blaise rolled his eyes. As dramatic as ever.

"And you think Granger's going to stand by and watch while they stick their necks out?" he arched an eyebrow at the frown on his face. "Then you don't know her as well as you say you do."

Draco snorted loudly.

No one in their right mind could think that Granger was going to stay out of this.

"I'll make sure no one touches her," Draco clicked his tongue as he flipped the coin three times. "Shit."

He continued cursing under his breath until the coin started to glow. Blaise released him before the bluish light engulfed him again and Draco disappeared.

"Yes," he looked at the door through which Pansy would soon be entering and sighed. "This sucks."


The woman's eyes widened in panic and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Draco leaned over her, holding her hand.

"Jane. Jane, calm down. I'm here."

She blinked and brought her free hand to her lips, which wouldn't stop trembling.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, sighing with relief to see him beside her. She sat up, accepting the cup of tea he was offering her. "What was that?"

Peter had already drunk his but he was still pale.

Draco sighed, sitting back down on the wooden table in front of the sofa.

"That was the Dark Lo..." he shook his head. "Voldemort. That was Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Jane repeated, worried. "Harry had to fight that thing?"

Draco nodded with a grim face. He didn't like seeing them so frightened.

"I don't know if it was a good idea to share that memory," he muttered, glancing sideways at his wand.

The woman patted his knee gently.

"We wanted to know what he was like," she said, sighing and taking another sip of tea. "Thank you for showing it to us."

They had both insisted on seeing a memory that showed what the Dark Lord was really like, and Draco had chosen one from the time when he lived in his manor.

It was the least cruel one he had. That night, Voldemort had announced that Lucius and five other Death Eaters had been captured in the Department of Mysteries, and his red eyes had sparkled as he had glanced at Draco and asked if he was willing to receive the Dark Mark.

As if refusing was an option.

Draco pushed that memory to the farthest corner of his mind and focused on what was in front of him. Hermione's parents were still very nervous and Peter kept rubbing his hands together.

"It will be part of your memories now, like all the others."

"It doesn't matter," Jane murmured, wiping the sweat from her brow with her hand. "I can't believe that she... that our daughter fought against such a powerful man."

Draco smiled. It was still hard for them to call her that.

"Harry Potter could not have defeated him without her," he said in a firm voice. "Hermione was a key player in the war."

And neither Potter nor that idiot Weasley would have survived a year in the castle without her by his side. Hermione had been the brains of the trio of friends from the beginning.

"She's very strong, Jane," Peter added, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "And she's safe."

That was something Draco kept telling them since they were working on the darker part of their memories.

Hermione was in London. Safe and sound.

"I know, I know," the woman let out a shaky breath, biting her lip as she looked back at Draco. "But I shudder to imagine her fighting him and his followers."

Seeing her make the same gestures as her daughter was painful at times. Draco looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

"You were part of his army, weren't you?"

He frowned at Peter's question and looked at him again.

"I never fought," he confessed, clasping his hands together on his lap. "All I cared about was not dying, so I hid until the end."

He saw a spark of disappointment in the man's eyes.

"You really are a coward."

Draco clenched his jaw hard, biting his tongue.

"Not anymore," her mother's hand brushed his, and when he looked up at her, she was smiling. "This is a brave thing you're doing for her."

His heart skipped a beat.

"Thank you," Draco looked between the two of them, lowering his gaze to the vials on the table. "It won't be long now before you can see her again."

Jane's smile widened.

"You're looking forward to seeing Hermione again too, right, darling?"

Draco felt his blood run cold. He saw Hermione pointing her wand at him in his mind, her curls floating between the sparks of magic flying from her skin and cracking around her.

He'd have to be stupid not to be scared of her. And he knew that, when he saw her again, she would be furious.

"Yes, but I don't know if I'll survive."

Peter laughed.

"I don't think she'll be waiting for you with open arms, that's for sure," the man commented as he scratched his chin. "My daughter has the same temper as Jane."

The woman gasped, offended.

"Peter!"

"It's true, honey," Hermione's father raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Draco as a smirk spread across his face. "And I bet you she didn't like it when you left without an explanation."

Draco felt a shiver run down his spine.

"I'll think about that when it's time to go back. In the meantime..." he held out a vial in his right hand where a gleaming silver thread twirled inside. "Do you feel up to one more?"

Jane exchanged a glance with Peter and they both smiled, looking back at Draco.

"Let me tell you that you're not going to like this," he warned them, lifting his brow as he set the vial down on his lap. "It's the memory of when Hermione erased yours."

The two Muggles' smiles froze. Draco looked at Jane, who nodded.

They both folded their arms and leaned their backs against the sofa, blinking as several ropes came out of his wand and coiled around them.

Once they were securely tied Draco raised his wand and pointed it at Hermione's mother's forehead, whispering the incantation he had been using for weeks.

"Legilimens."


Hermione smiled as she walked down the imposing corridors of the castle.

It had been over a year since she had last visited Hogwarts, and McGonagall had asked to meet with her to discuss how they could make travel arrangements for the students who would be attending the Quidditch final in May.

In the end, they agreed that the safest course of action would be to use portkeys. A Ministry official would be waiting for them in Hogsmeade on the morning of the match with five in his pocket, more than enough for the thirty students who had managed to get a ticket.

And their families would be waiting for them by the entrance to the venue once they got there.

"Hermione Granger."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of her name. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realised where her footsteps were taking her and had ended up in the corridor leading to the library.

She glanced over her shoulder, holding her breath as she saw the translucent figure hovering behind her.

"Myrtle. Hello."

The ghost looked around, returning her gaze to her.

"Follow me."

She floated down the corridor and Hermione hesitated for a moment, but shook her head and followed her downstairs, clutching the folder in her hand tighter.

Myrtle walked through the door to the girls' bathroom on the second floor and, once Hermione entered, she was waiting for her by one of the sinks.

Hermione stopped a short distance away. She knew her ghost's temper all too well and how easy it was to get her angry.

"How did you know I was here?"

She rolled her eyes, levitating to the highest window sill.

"I've heard some third years saying your name," she commented as she sat down, watching her with interest. "Draco didn't come with you?"

His name always made her heart shrink. Hermione swallowed, shaking her head.

"He told me that the two of you have been friends for years," she replied, trying to smile.

According to Draco, Myrtle was nice once she got used to you and you managed to gain her trust.

The ghost nodded with a sad smile.

"He's the first real friend I've had since my death."

Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes and blinked them away.

"Can you tell him to come to visit me? I miss him," Myrtle added softly.

Hermione twisted her lips. She missed him too, more and more every day.

At least now she knew he was all right, though. Pansy had assured her so but hadn't told her anymore.

And she was starting to be sick of so many secrets.

"I'll tell him," Hermione said with a nod.

The ghost grinned and moved down to the nearest loo, disappearing behind the wooden door.

Hermione tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth.

"Myrtle?"

She poked her head out as soon as she called her name and Hermione smiled.

Despite having spent over a month in that bathroom she had never paid any attention to the ghost, and she regretted it.

Every soul that stayed behind had a reason for doing so and, thanks to the memories of Voldemort that Harry had seen in his diary, they knew that Myrtle's life had been far from easy.

She was a girl with Muggle parents, just like her, and had suffered the taunts of the students until the day she died.

"I'm sure you'd make a lot of friends if you behaved with others as you do with him," Hermione widened her smile. "You and I can be friends too if you want."

Myrtle pulled her body completely out and levitated until she was in front of her.

"I could try," she admitted, grimacing. "Although younger children are very irritating."

Hermione laughed softly.

"Then try with the older ones," she suggested, holding the folder to her chest. "You could even visit Helena Ravenclaw. I know she's lonely too."

Another ghost that had died young and tragically.

"The Grey Lady?" Myrtle asked with a frown.

Hermione nodded.

"I think you two would have a lot to talk about."

Myrtle thought about it for a few seconds.

"I'll try," she agreed, crossing her arms. "You can visit me again, too."

"I'll come with Draco next time," Hermione waved goodbye. "See you soon, Myrtle."

She heard the ghost's voice just as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

Myrtle still had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring down at her.

"He loves you, you know. He used to come here a lot with girls, and he stopped when he noticed you."

Hermione gasped. Was she talking about Draco?

"He used to come in here with girls?"

The ghost rolled her eyes.

"The others were just sex, but you..." Myrtle shook her head and snorted, messing up her bangs. "I saw it in his eyes from the start. He was in love, even if he couldn't accept it."

Hermione felt something warm spread through her chest.

That morning when she got up and got dressed, apparating to Hogsmeade shortly afterwards, she couldn't have imagined that she would end up talking to her boyfriend's ghost friend. Let alone that she would tell her about him.

"Thank you for telling me, Myrtle."

She nodded.

"Take care of him," she asked in a whisper.

Hermione's smile twisted downwards and she turned her back on her, opening the door.

"See you soon."

As she left, the feelings overwhelmed her. Hermione ran to one of the tapestries that hid a secret passage to the upper floor, lifting it and hiding behind it.

Tears began to fall down her face without her being able to stop them. She pulled out her wand and silenced the dark hallway, sitting down on the stone floor and leaning her back against the wall.

Every day she remembered the promise Draco had made the day he moved in with her.

You'll never be alone again, Hermione.

Hermione gritted her teeth as she wiped away her tears.

Where the hell was he? And what was he doing that was important enough to abandon her like that?

As soon as he got back, he was going to find out what a big mistake it was to piss off Hermione Granger. If he thought he'd already seen her angry, he was sorely mistaken.